Apparatus and method for controlling built-in microphone of portable terminal

ABSTRACT

An electronic device and method are provided. The electronic device includes a built-in microphone; a Bluetooth communication module configured to wirelessly connect to a first wireless external device including a speaker and a second wireless external device including a speaker; and a controller configured to detect a call establishment, if the call establishment is detected while one of the first and second wireless external devices is connected to the electronic device, operate the built-in microphone to receive sound based on information regarding the connected one of the first and second wireless external devices, and if the call establishment is detected while both of the first and second wireless external devices are connected to the electronic device, select one of the first and second wireless external devices and provide an incoming call audio signal received via the call establishment to the selected one of the first and second wireless external devices.

PRIORITY

This application is a Continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 14/507,217, which was filed in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office onOct. 6, 2014, which was a Continuation application of U.S. applicationSer. No. 14/325,848, which was filed in the U.S. Patent & TrademarkOffice on Jul. 8, 2014, which was a Continuation application of U.S.application Ser. No. 12/113,577, which was filed in the U.S. Patent &Trademark Office on May 1, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,774,863 issued onJul. 8, 2014, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to a Koreanpatent application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office onMay 4, 2007 and assigned Serial No. 2007-43405, the entire contents ofeach of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controllinga built-in microphone of a portable terminal. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to an apparatus and method in which a built-inmicrophone of a portable terminal is controlled such that, when a callconnection event occurs for call reception/origination in the portableterminal connected with an earphone without a microphone, an outputaudio signal is output to the connected earphone and an input audiosignal is received through the built-in microphone.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, with the rapid development of portable terminals, a mobilephone providing wireless voice call and data exchange is regarded as anecessity of life. Conventional portable terminals have generally beenregarded as portable devices providing wireless calls. However, alongwith technical advances and introduction of the wireless Internet,portable terminals are now used for many purposes in addition totelephone calls or schedule management. For example, images can becaptured by using a digital camera included in a portable terminal.Further, the portable terminal provides a variety of functions such aswatching a satellite broadcasting program, games, Web surfing using thewireless Internet, watching video, listening to music, e-mail services,and so on.

In particular, a headset may be used to receive services in a publicplace by using a portable terminal capable of playing back video andmusic. When launched, the portable terminal generally includes a headsetso that a user can receive music and audio services through a speakerincluded in the headset. In addition, when a call is made by callconnection, a call service can be provided by receiving user's voicethrough a microphone included in the headset.

However, as high-quality sound can be provided with the continueddevelopment of the portable terminal, users are generally no longersatisfied with the quality of sound provided through the headsetincluded in the portable terminal. Thus, such a user must additionallypurchase a device for outputting high-quality sound according topersonal preference.

In general, the output device purchased by the user is an earphonewithout a microphone. In this case, when a call connection event occursfor call reception/origination in a state that the earphone without themicrophone is connected to the conventional portable terminal, in orderto make a call, the earphone connected to the portable terminal has tobe disconnected. In addition, the user inconveniently has to take offthe earphone from his or her ear. That is, to achieve the high-qualitysound, the user has to experience inconvenience during a callconnection.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentinvention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling abuilt-in microphone of a portable terminal.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus andmethod for controlling a built-in microphone of a portable terminal, inwhich a connection device is checked upon detecting a call connectionevent and whether to use the built-in microphone is determined accordingto the connection device.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus andmethod in which a built-in microphone of a portable terminal iscontrolled such that, when a call connection event occurs for callreception/origination in the portable terminal connected with anearphone without a microphone, an output audio voice signal is output tothe connected earphone and an input audio signal is received through thebuilt-in microphone.

According to an aspect of the present invention, an electronic device isprovided. The electronic device includes a built-in microphone; aBluetooth communication module configured to wirelessly connect to afirst wireless external device including a speaker and a second wirelessexternal device including a speaker; and a controller configured todetect a call establishment, if the call establishment is detected whileone of the first and second wireless external devices is connected tothe electronic device, operate the built-in microphone to receive soundbased on information regarding the connected one of the first and secondwireless external devices, and if the call establishment is detectedwhile both of the first and second wireless external devices areconnected to the electronic device, select one of the first and secondwireless external devices and provide an incoming call audio signalreceived via the call establishment to the selected one of the first andsecond wireless external devices.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronicdevice capable of wirelessly connecting to, via a Bluetoothcommunication module, a first wireless external device including aspeaker and a second wireless external device including a speaker isprovided. The electronic device includes the Bluetooth communicationmodule; a built-in microphone; and a controller configured to detect acall establishment, if the call establishment is detected while one ofthe first and second wireless external devices is connected to theelectronic device, operate the built-in microphone to receive soundbased on information regarding the connected one of the first and secondwireless external devices, and if the call establishment is detectedwhile both of the first and second wireless external devices areconnected to the electronic device, select one of the first and secondwireless external devices and provide an incoming call audio signalreceived via the call establishment to the selected one of the first andsecond wireless external devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certainembodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a portableterminal for detecting whether to use a built-in microphone depending onwhich connection device is used when a call connection event occurs,according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining whether touse a built-in microphone depending on which connection device is usedwhen a call connection event occurs in a portable terminal, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description,well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail sincethey would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method in which abuilt-in microphone of a portable terminal is controlled such that, whena call connection event occurs for call reception/origination in theportable terminal connected with an earphone without a microphone, anoutput audio signal is output to the connected earphone and an inputaudio signal is received through the built-in microphone. The presentinvention will hereinafter be described with reference to FIG. 1.

In the present invention, an earphone is defined as a device that doesnot include a microphone and includes a speaker for outputting an outputaudio signal. A wireless earphone is defined as a device that does notinclude a microphone and includes a speaker for outputting an outputaudio signal by being wirelessly connected through a wireless connectionmethod such as Bluetooth®. A headset is defined as a device thatincludes both a microphone and a speaker. A wireless headset is definedas a device that includes both a microphone and a speaker, each of whichtransmits/receives an audio signal by being wireless connecting througha wireless connection method such as the Bluetooth. The headset or thewireless headset is also referred to as an ear microphone.

Referring to FIG. 1, the portable terminal of the present inventionincludes a controller 100, a connection device checker 102, a wirelessconnector 104, a communication unit 106, a memory 108, a connector 110,a COder-DECoder (CODEC) 112, a built-in speaker 114, and a built-inmicrophone 116.

The wireless connector 104 wirelessly transmits/receives an audio signalby connecting a wireless device (e.g., wireless earphone or wirelessheadset) under the control of the controller 100, and providesinformation on the connected wireless device to the connection devicechecker 102 at the request of the connection device checker 102. Thewireless connector 104 may use a Bluetooth communication technique forwireless connection. When the wireless connector 104 uses the Bluetoothcommunication technique, a general operation of Bluetooth communicationis performed in which a connectable Bluetooth device is searched forunder the control of the controller 100 and Bluetooth connection is madeby pairing if authentication is required. In the present invention, thewireless connector 104 is optional, and thus may not be provided.

In a receiving operation, the communication unit 106 decreases afrequency of a Radio Frequency (RF) signal received through an antenna,and then performs de-spreading and channel decoding on the receivedsignal. In a transmitting operation, the communication unit 106 performschannel coding and spreading on the received signal, increases thefrequency of the received signal, and then transmits the signal throughthe antenna. In addition, in order to connect a call, the communicationunit 106 receives or transmits a call connection request.

The memory 108 stores programs for controlling an overall operation ofthe portable terminal, application programs, and data (e.g., telephonenumbers, Short Message Service (SMS) messages, compressed image files,video, etc.).

Through a wired connection, the connector 110 may be physicallyconnected to a connector 132 of an earphone 130 including only a speaker134 or may be physically connected to a connector 142 of a headset 140including both a speaker 144 and a microphone 146. The connector 110 maybe composed of one socket that can connect both the earphone 130 and theheadset 140. Alternatively, the connector 110 may be composed of a firstsocket for connecting the earphone 130 and a second socket forconnecting the headset 140 so as to be respectively connected to aplurality of devices.

The CODEC 112 connected to the controller 100, the built-in speaker 114connected to the CODEC 112, and the built-in microphone 116 are providedas an audio input/output block used for a voice call. The CODEC 112converts Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) data provided from the controller100 into an analog audio signal and then transmits the analog audiosignal to the built-in speaker 114, or transmits the analog audio signalthrough the earphone 130 and the speaker 144 of the headset 140. Inaddition, the CODEC 112 converts an input audio signal received throughthe built-in microphone 116 or through the microphone 146 of the headset140 into data, and then transmits the data to the controller 100.

At the request of the controller 100, the connection device checker 102checks the wireless connector 104 so as to determine whether a wirelessearphone or a wireless headset is connected. In addition, the connectiondevice checker 102 checks the connector 110 so as to determine whetheran earphone or a headset is connected. Then, the connection devicechecker 102 provides the controller 100 with information on theconnected device.

Upon detecting a call connection event when a call connection request isreceived or transmitted, the controller 100 requests the connectiondevice checker 102 to send information on a connection device currentlyconnected, and receives information on the connection device from theconnection device checker 102 and thus selects a device forinputting/outputting an audio signal according to the connection device.

In other words, under the control of the controller 100, upon detectingthe call connection event, information on the connection devicecurrently connected is checked through the connection device checker102, and if the connection device is either an earphone or a wirelessearphone, an output audio signal is output to the connected earphone orthe wireless earphone, and the input audio signal is received byactivating the built-in microphone 116 of the portable terminal. If theinformation on the connection device is a headset (or wireless headset),audio signal is input/output by activating a speaker and a microphone ofthe headset (or wireless headset). If no connection device is connected,the audio signal is input/output by activating the built-in speaker 114and the built-in microphone 116 of the portable terminal. In addition,under the control of the controller 100, when the call connection eventoccurs, if the connection device information obtained by the connectiondevice checker 102 shows that two or more connection devices areconnected, the connection devices for providing services are selectedaccording to a predetermined priority. For example, if the connector 110has a plurality of connection sockets and detects the call connectionevent in a state that both an earphone and a headset are connected, thenthe audio signal is input/output by activating the speaker andmicrophone of the headset under the control of the controller 100.

Meanwhile, the controller 100 controls the connection device checker102. That is, the controller 100 may perform a function of theconnection device checker 102. The controller 100 and the connectiondevice checker 102 are described as being separately implemented in thepresent invention for explanation purposes only. Thus, in practice, theconnection device checker 102 may be incorporated into the controller100 or may be provided separately from the controller 100.

Now, a method of controlling a microphone of a portable terminalaccording to the present invention will be described with reference toFIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determiningwhether to use a built-in microphone depending on which connectiondevice is used when a call connection event occurs in a portableterminal, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, upon detecting a call connection event in step 200,information on a connected connection device is checked in step 202.

In step 204, existence of the connection device is determined accordingto the checking result of step 202. If the determination result of step204 shows that no connection device is connected, a built-in speaker anda built-in earphone are activated in step 208, so as to input/output anaudio signal.

If the determination result of step 204 shows that a connection deviceis connected, it is determined whether the connected connection deviceis an earphone in step 206. If the determination result of step 206shows that the connected connection device is the earphone, a speaker ofthe earphone and a built-in microphone of the portable terminal areactivated in step 210, so that the output audio signal is output throughthe speaker of the earphone and the input audio signal is receivedthrough the built-in microphone.

If the determination result of step 206 shows that the connectedconnection device is not the earphone but a headset, the speaker andmicrophone of the headset are activated so that the audio signal isinput/output through the ear microphone.

Although it has been described in FIG. 2 that the earphone and theheadset are connected, the earphone described in FIG. 2 may be awireless earphone, and the headset may be a wireless headset.

According to the present invention, an apparatus and method is providedin which a microphone of a portable terminal is controlled such that,when a call connection event occurs for call reception/origination inthe portable terminal connected with an earphone without a microphone,an output audio signal is output to the connected earphone and an inputaudio signal is received through a built-in microphone of the portableterminal. Therefore, a call can be made without having to disconnect theearphone from the portable terminal, thereby providing convenience tousers.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tocertain embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedby the appended claims and their equivalents. Therefore, the scope ofthe invention is defined not by the detailed description of theinvention but by the appended claims and their equivalents, and alldifferences within the scope will be construed as being included in thepresent invention.

1. (canceled)
 2. (canceled)
 3. An apparatus comprising: a built-inmicrophone; interface circuitry to couple with a first external deviceincluding a first speaker and no microphone, or a second external deviceincluding a second speaker and a microphone; and a controlleroperatively coupled with the built-in microphone and the interfacecircuitry, the controller configured to: activate a function to providea communication with an electronic device via a network; obtain audioinformation external to the apparatus using the built-in microphonebased at least in part on a determination that the apparatus is coupledwith the first external device; obtain the audio information using themicrophone based at least in part on a determination that the apparatusis coupled with the second external device; and transmit the audioinformation to the electronic device with respect to the function usingthe communication.
 4. The apparatus of the claim 3, wherein thecontroller is configured to: present another audio informationtransmitted from the electronic device using a corresponding one of thefirst speaker and the second speaker that is coupled with the apparatus.5. The apparatus of the claim 3, wherein the controller is configuredto: present another audio information transmitted from the electronicdevice using a selected one of the first speaker and the second speaker,based at least in part on a determination that the apparatus is coupledwith the first external device and the second external device.
 6. Theapparatus of the claim 3, further comprising a built-in speaker, whereinthe controller is configured to: present another audio informationtransmitted from the electronic using the built-in speaker, based atleast in part on a determination that the apparatus is not coupled withthe first external device or the second external device.
 7. Theapparatus of the claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to:select the first speaker or the second speaker using a specifiedpriority corresponding to a corresponding one of the first externaldevice and the second external device, based at least in part on adetermination that the apparatus is coupled with the first externaldevice and the second external device.
 8. The apparatus of the claim 3,wherein the controller is configured to: refrain from activating thebuilt-in microphone based at least in part on the determination that theapparatus is coupled with the second external device.
 9. The apparatusof the claim 3, further comprising a built-in speaker, wherein thecontroller configured to: present a notification transmitted from thenetwork using the built-in speaker or, a corresponding one of the firstspeaker and the second speaker that is coupled with the apparatus. 10.The apparatus of the claim 3, wherein the function comprises a telephonefunction.
 11. The apparatus of the claim 3, wherein the interfacecircuitry comprises a socket or a wireless communication connector. 12.An apparatus comprising: a built-in microphone; interface circuitry tocouple with a first external device including a speaker and nomicrophone, or a second external device including a speaker and amicrophone; and a controller operatively coupled with the built-inmicrophone and the interface circuitry, the controller configured to:perform a function to provide a communication with an electronic devicevia a network; activate the built-in microphone based at least in parton a determination that the apparatus is coupled with the first externaldevice; and activate the microphone based at least in part on adetermination that the apparatus is coupled with the second externaldevice; and obtain audio information with respect to the function usinga corresponding one of the built-in microphone and the microphone thatis activated.
 13. The apparatus of the claim 12, wherein the controlleris configured to: present another audio information transmitted from theelectronic device using the speaker that is coupled with the apparatus.14. The apparatus of the claim 12, wherein the controller is configuredto: transmit the audio information to the electronic device with respectto the function using the communication.
 15. The apparatus of the claim12, wherein the controller is configured to: present informationcorresponding to the function using a selected one of the first externaldevice and the second external device, based at least in part on adetermination that the apparatus is coupled with the first externaldevice and the second external device.
 16. The apparatus of the claim12, wherein the controller is configured to: refrain from activating thebuilt-in microphone based at least in part on the determination that theapparatus is coupled with the second external device.
 17. The apparatusof the claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to: presentanother audio information transmitted from the electronic device via thenetwork using a selected one speaker of the first external device andthe second external device, based at least in part on a determinationthat the apparatus is coupled with the first external device and thesecond external device.
 18. The apparatus of the claim 12, wherein thefirst external device comprises an earphone or a wireless headphone, andthe second external device comprises a headset or a wireless headset.19. An apparatus comprising: a built-in microphone; interface circuitryto couple with an electronic device external to the apparatus; and acontroller operatively coupled with the built-in microphone and theinterface circuitry, the controller configured to: activate a functionto provide a communication with another electronic device via a network;based at least in part on a determination that the electronic deviceincludes a speaker and no microphone, obtain audio information externalto the apparatus using the built-in microphone; based at least in parton a determination that the electronic device includes a speaker and themicrophone, obtain the audio information using the microphone; andtransmit the audio information to the other electronic device withrespect to the function using the communication.
 20. The apparatus ofthe claim 19, wherein the interface circuitry comprises a Bluetoothcommunication module, the Bluetooth communication module configured to:provide data indicating whether the electronic device includes themicrophone to the controller.
 21. The apparatus of the claim 19, furthercomprising a built-in speaker, wherein the controller is configured to:present another audio information transmitted from the other electronicdevice using the built-in speaker based at least in part on adetermination that the apparatus is not coupled with the electronicdevice.
 22. The apparatus of the claim 19, further comprising a built-inspeaker, wherein the controller is configured to: present a notificationtransmitted from the network using the built-in speaker or the speakerthat is coupled with the apparatus, based at least in part on adetermination that a call connection request with respect to thefunction is received from the network.